JR MOTORSPORTS TEAM PREVIEW:
TRACK: Talladega Superspeedway
RACE: Sparks 300 (113 laps / 300 miles)
DATE: Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022
Broadcast Information – TV: 4 p.m. ET on USA / Radio: 3:30 p.m. ET on MRN and Sirius XM Ch. 90
Sam Mayer
No. 1 Accelerate Professional Talent Solutions Chevrolet
• Sam Mayer currently sits seventh on the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoff grid, one point above the eighth and final spot with two races remaining in the Round of 12.
• With his eighth-place result last week, Mayer has now finished inside of the top 10 in three consecutive NXS races dating back to Kansas Speedway last month. His average finish in those events is 7.0.
• Mayer started 14th earlier this year at Talladega Superspeedway and raced as high as first before being involved in a multi-car incident that ended his day shy of the finish.
Josh Berry
No. 8 JARRETT Chevrolet
• Josh Berry started 16th last week at Texas and drove to second before ultimately finishing in the sixth position. With the result, Berry has now finished inside the top 10 in 17 races, including four straight.
• Berry and the No. 8 team currently sit in fifth position on the playoff grid, 24 points above the eighth and final spot with two races remaining in the Round of 12.
• In this event last season, Berry drove the No. 1 for an injured Michael Annett and finished ninth after leading three laps.
• At tracks measuring 2 miles or more in the NXS, Berry has earned three top fives and six top 10s in 11 starts.
Noah Gragson
No. 9 Bass Pro Shops / TrueTimber / Black Rifle Coffee Chevrolet
• Noah Gragson has a shot at history this weekend. Fresh off four consecutive victories, if Gragson wins at Talladega he’ll become the first NXS driver to win five races in a row.
• By virtue of his triumph last week at Texas, Gragson claims the top spot in the point standings and is the first driver locked into the Round of 8.
• Over his last nine NXS starts, Gragson has five victories (at Pocono, Darlington, Kansas, Bristol and Texas), seven top five and eight top-10 finishes.
• With a Talladega victory earlier this year, Gragson has excelled at the facility in seven NXS starts. In addition to the win, he’s added three top-five and five top-10 finishes.
Justin Allgaier
No. 7 BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet
• When the green flag waves on Saturday afternoon at Talladega, Justin Allgaier will become just the 10th driver in NXS history to make 400 career starts.
• With two races remaining in the Round of 12 in the NXS Playoffs, Allgaier currently sits as the sixth seed, 20 points above the cutline.
• In 14 career NXS starts at Talladega, Allgaier has earned four top fives, seven top 10s and a best finish of second, coming in the spring of 2016.
• In 38 combined starts on the superspeedways of Talladega and Daytona, Allgaier has amassed 10 top fives and 17 top 10s.
Driver Quotes
“Taylor (Moyer, crew chief) and this Accelerate Professional Talent Solutions team always build fast cars, especially for Daytona and Talladega. That gives me a lot of confidence that I can make the moves needed and put myself in the right situations to be battling towards the front on Saturday. You never know what is going to happen at these superspeedways but our goal is to keep the car clean all race and hopefully come out with a solid points day.” – Sam Mayer
“Anything can happen at Talladega. You can go from being in the lead one lap to the back of the back the next. Hopefully, we can avoid any potential trouble out there and find ourselves up front and in contention to win with our BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet. JRM has always been extremely strong on the superspeedways, and I feel like we couldn’t be coming to a better place than Talladega this weekend to get our playoffs back on track.” – Justin Allgaier
“JRM as a whole usually does well in these types of races and this weekend is going to be more of the same. Hopefully we can qualify up front and work with our teammates on staying there all race. We’re in good shape in points right now, but Talladega is a wild card and anything can happen. I think if we can finish this race, we will be in a good spot for the Roval next week, but our main objective is to go out and win.” – Josh Berry
“This season has just been incredible. Winning four straight is really hard to do in anything, and we’ve done it. This Bass Pro Shops/TrueTimber/Black Rifle Coffee team has been amazing all year, and it’s all coming together at the right time. It was a wild finish last time at Talladega, and it will probably be thatway again this weekend. We’re already in the Round of 8, and that takes some of the pressure off this weekend.”– Noah Gragson
JRM Team Updates:
• Making History: By virtue of last week’s win at Texas Motor Speedway, Gragson has done something that hasn’t been done since 1983. He has won four consecutive races in the NXS and is tied with Sam Ard for the longest winning streak in series history. If Gragson can win at Talladega, a track he won at earlier this year, he would be the only driver to ever win five in a row in the NXS.
• JR Motorsports at Talladega: JR Motorsports has competed at Talladega Superspeedway a combined 57 times in the NXS. Over
the course of those starts at the 2.66-mile facility, the organization has tallied three wins, 16 top fives and 29 top 10s. The
company’s most recent win came earlier this season with Noah Gragson and the No. 9 team.
• Team Chevy Display: JRM drivers Justin Allgaier, Josh Berry and Sam Mayer will appear at the Team Chevy display located in the Talladega fan zone on Saturday, Oct. 1. Allgaier will appear from 11:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. and the duo of Berry and Mayer from 12:30 p.m. to 12:45 p.m.
• Souvenir Rig: JRM driver Justin Allgaier will be signing autographs at the JR Motorsports/Hendrick Motorsports souvenir rig on Saturday, Oct. 1 from 11:50 a.m. to 12:20 p.m.
